“We’ll be very patient with him,” Lawton said. “He can be a regular in this league for 10-12 years. We just have to give him the foundation to succeed. We have to let him play games and take the pressure off him.”...
Throughout the season, Mihalik said the biggest thing he worked on was the mental part of the game.
“Everybody here is strong, fast and good enough,” Mihalik said. “But you need to be able to think the game to react quicker and that’s what I try to work on. I just try to get better every day and wait for a big chance.”...
“I think I’m stronger and faster,” Mihalik said. “My mindset is better than it was before. I know what is going to happen, what to expect at camp.”...
“The only thing that can derail [Mihalik] is if we force him into NHL duty,” Lawton said. “He just needs to get games and progress. I’ve never felt better about him than I do now.”
Kevin Quick
Quote:
“They signed a lot of good defensemen,” said Quick, a third-round pick in 2006. “You can’t complain about that. If you want a spot, you really have to battle.
“I’m definitely expecting a year in Norfolk and hopefully I can put up a lot of points and get on a roll going into [2010] training camp.”...
“I think it was easier to play up here with better players,” Quick said. “All you have to do is make a good first pass and life’s easy, especially when you are playing with guys like Vinny [Lecavalier] and Marty [St. Louis]. In the minors, the first guy in on the fore check is trying to kill you to make an impression."...
Quick came to Young Guns Camp wanting to work on something new. Listed at 6-0, 175-pounds before the season, he said he has gained 20 pounds and is learning how to explode more on his skates with the added bulk.
“I still feel fast,” Quick said. “But I want to be faster.”...
Butters said Quick has added weight in the right places and expects him to play a lot of minutes in Norfolk, in all situations.
“He’s confident with the puck and carries himself well,” Butters said. “We’d like to see more production. Last year was a developmental year. We want him to have the freedom to rush the puck and join the play, do the things that he’s got to do. He will see power-play time. How much is up to him. Kevin’s fast enough where he makes up for his lack of size and that’s going to be his game.”
Wishart
Quote:
“We’re still fighting for spots,” Wishart said. “If I have to go to Norfolk, I’m just going to go down there and work hard to have a great season.”...
“The elevated speed and strength of the pro game took its toll on his confidence the first 20-25 games,” Butters said. “He started to pick it up, especially near the end of the season playing with Mike Lundin.
“With Wish, it’s baby steps. He’s made little progressive strides. He’s got to get stronger and that’s going to come with time. It takes a little longer for the bigger guys to get their feet under them. It’s going to take him time, but I know he’s committed to being an NHL player.”...
“Last year kind of reminded me of my first year in juniors when I was 16,” Wishart said. “I had eight points that season and the next I jumped up to 30. Hopefully, I can do the same this season.”
The Lightning have been doing a feature on what should be the top 3 defensemen in Norfolk this year. Should be interesting to see how they handle training camp this year, with all the other defensemen we have, and how they preform in Norfolk. This is Mihalik's last year in his entry level contract, and Wishart and Quick both have a year in the AHL under their belt and will play bigger roles with the Ads.
thats why I'm really stressin the whole trade him thing. It was apparent that he wasn't NHL ready when he was hear before, now that he had been sent down to the AHL I think he will surprise alot of people.
Agree to disagree....To me I could just feel he wasn't feeling confident in himself. That alone could be the difference between an AHL allstar and an NHL regular
Which defensemen in your organization has two-way contracts?
And on which side (left/right) does your defensemen play mostly? I believe Hedman and Öhlund play on the left side mostly even if Hedman was on the right in JWC.
Does Hale have a chance ? Also, Smaby and Lashoff, do you think one of them will make the team this season?
Here's what I believe the pecking order will be:
Öhlund - Meszaros (Öhlund does first unit duty somewhat better than Ranger)
Ranger - Walker (might be hard to score against this)
Hedman - Krajicek
Foster
Which defensemen in your organization has two-way contracts?
And on which side (left/right) does your defensemen play mostly? I believe Hedman and Öhlund play on the left side mostly even if Hedman was on the right in JWC.
Does Hale have a chance ? Also, Smaby and Lashoff, do you think one of them will make the team this season?
Here's what I believe the pecking order will be:
Öhlund - Meszaros (Öhlund does first unit duty somewhat better than Ranger)
Ranger - Walker (might be hard to score against this)
Hedman - Krajicek
Foster
Lashoff ? - Foster ?
Lundin? - Smaby ?
Hale
AHL: Mihalik, Quick, Wishart, Smaby?
Mostlikely to be traded because being too good?
Lawton has said we will be carrying 8 dmen. The only ones that I would say are locks are:
Ranger, Meszaros, Ohlund, Hedman and Walker
The other 3 spots will be fought out by Lashoff, Smaby, Foster, Lundin and Krajicek.
Switching Hedman, Smaby and Lashoff out for Walker and Foster/Lundin on various nights. With only Ranger Meszaros and Ohlund in the lineup night in and night out barring injury of course.
And no if Hale makes the team we have problems. Krajicek traded for late round pick and Lundin/Foster exposed to waivers.
Switching Hedman, Smaby and Lashoff out for Walker and Foster/Lundin on various nights. With only Ranger Meszaros and Ohlund in the lineup night in and night out barring injury of course.
And no if Hale makes the team we have problems. Krajicek traded for late round pick and Lundin/Foster exposed to waivers.
I think Smaby is a lock as well. He has a one-way contract only so...
And Foster will probably surprise people so the spot left will be for Lashoff/Krajicek/Lundin
